Our Midfield Playmakers

[Chabuddy G]

Change of topic. As talking about how dreadful we are is just depressing.

Of recent years, since probably relegation from the Premier League actually, only 3 stand out as being any good at controlling the play from the middle of the park. (Notwithstanding Fleck or Duffy in this, think they're different players)
Kevin McDonald - Ok, League One, but made us a totally different proposition to what we were used to watching at Bramall Lane. A big lad yes, but one who could move. Great dribbling ability, strong as an ox and could spot a pass from a mile away. Did it at the level above, never really got a shot at PL level since Fulham signed 42 players last time they came up.
Paul Coutts - I don't need to go too hard here. We all know how good he was. But I think pre-leg break Coutts is unarguably Premier League class. Such a shame.
Ollie Norwood - Pre-lockdown Ollie, what a player. The conductor. Seems to have really regressed since then. He seems to have aged 5 years in the space of 12 months athletically.

Midfield has definitely been our biggest issue this season. The lack of athletic ability compounded by them just seemingly forgetting how to pass, move, break the lines, get forward etc.

So, if you could pick any of Kevin McDonald, Paul Coutts, or Ollie Norwood at the peak of their powers to replay this season with in midfield for 38 games, who would it be?

 

[The Crab]

Coutts.

All day, every day and twice on a Sunday

 

[Nine Inch Nalis]

Coutts obviously, fuck the other two.

 

[Chabuddy G]

Coutts.

All day, every day and twice on a Sunday

Same. He was a hard bastard, I remember watching us looking like boys away at Anfield last season thinking to myself 'fuck, I wish Coutts was out there'.

 

[The Crab]

Same. He was a hard bastard, I remember watching us looking like boys away at Anfield last season thinking to myself 'fuck, I wish Coutts was out there'.

Exactly.

His leg break robbed him, and us. He'd have been fine in the Premier league I have no doubt about that.

Nothing against the other two although I think Norwood is more Championship class, but Coutts had the lot.

 

[djbaldken]

I'm confused, 'our midfield playmakers ' , do we have any?

 

[Chabuddy G]

Exactly.

His leg break robbed him, and us. He'd have been fine in the Premier league I have no doubt about that.

Nothing against the other two although I think Norwood is more Championship class, but Coutts had the lot.

Yeah I think so too. He had the physical ability to match the technical side. Norwood definitely saved us post-leg break, and took us up. But I do think we would've gone up the season previous had Coutts leg not gone pop.
That coupled with the form of Clarke and Billy, and our solid back 5 would've been more than enough I think.

 

[Chabuddy G]

I'm confused, 'our midfield playmakers ' , do we have any?

Have you even read the thread

 

[MalmoBlade]

McDonald for me, but ideally both him and Coutts

 

[AWetFlannel]

Think Norwood suits playing the middle of a 3 best, so is the best candidate for the prem.

Mcdonald can get fucked, up against two club legends he doesn't get a sniff.

 

[true99blade]

If we’re talking at their peak for us, then Coutts isn’t fit to lace Norwood’s boots.

McDonald I would’ve loved to have seen play for us at a higher level.

 

[MalmoBlade]

Norwood's a club legend? Best candidate for the Prem? Brighton and Fulham were right, top end Championship is his limit

 

[Groucho Blade]

Coutts.

All day, every day and twice on a Sunday

This

 

[Working Class Hero]

It's OK saying Coutts would have cut it in the prem, but Norwood gets lambasted for not being quick enough. Coutts was even slower.

 

[Ginger Gnome]

McDonald often played like current Norwood even when he was at his best, the main difference being that Norwood is simply out of his depth, McDonald just couldn't be bothered.

Coutts is the answer anyway.

 

[Chabuddy G]

It's OK saying Coutts would have cut it in the prem, but Norwood gets lambasted for not being quick enough. Coutts was even slower.

Before his leg break, Coutts was way faster than Norwood

 

[Luke1993]

Coutts for 18 months was simply brilliant, such a shame.

 

[Working Class Hero]

Before his leg break, Coutts was way faster than Norwood

I loved Coutts, but fast he was not, even in his prime. In fact for the first 18 months he was one of the worst runners I'd ever seen.

 

[Chabuddy G]

I loved Coutts, but fast he was not, even in his prime. In fact for the first 18 months he was one of the worst runners I'd ever seen.

But Norwood is Stearman slow

 

[pommpey]

I don't think any of them are traditionally 'playmakers'. McDonald was a Matic-lite DM blocker who was a bit limited in vision, Coutts only became 'Coutts' when Fleck and Duffy decided what roles they had (he'd been decidedly not-very-good for a long period before that - I saw him at Crawley once and he was anonymous) and Norwood to me has always flattered to deceive.

We brought Lundstram in out of nowhere as the new-Coutts-hope (he was anything but) and pinned the next Coutts badge on Norwood, even though all he did was showboat the ping rather than mix it up, graft and win the game. He wasn't a 'playmaker'. He still isn't. He never will be either.

The last true playmaker we had in the centre of the park was the Swiss-Army-Knife that was Michael Brown, who was as good putting in a firm, committed but ball-winning tackle on the edge of our penalty area, was as good bringing the ball out of defence and finding Tonge, Allison or Ndlovu with a forward pass, was as good moving box-to-box, and as good reading the game to hit a dropping ball over the despairing grasp of fatty Pressman from 22 yards. He could also smack a penalty firmly out of the reach of the keeper, be productive even off the ball and effectively run United's game being THE pivot through which our attack, defence and counter attack would hinge.

Put him in that choice and the others can simply fuck off. And that's swearing.

pommpey

 

[O Fletch]

Problem is you cant easily replace a mcdonald, norwood or coutts. It might take us a couple of years to find a better replacement.

 

[Eza Blade]

We should change the poll. Who’s quicker Coutts with a broken leg or Norwood.

I loved watching Coutts play. Give him the ball and the oppo won’t see it for ten minutes.

 

[bladesmanluke]

Coutts by an absolute mile. Proper, proper Rolls Royce of a player. Taking nothing away from Norwood as we wouldn't have got promoted without his ping (which he seems to have misplaced)

 

[Sean Thornton]

Change of topic. As talking about how dreadful we are is just depressing.

Of recent years, since probably relegation from the Premier League actually, only 3 stand out as being any good at controlling the play from the middle of the park. (Notwithstanding Fleck or Duffy in this, think they're different players)
Kevin McDonald - Ok, League One, but made us a totally different proposition to what we were used to watching at Bramall Lane. A big lad yes, but one who could move. Great dribbling ability, strong as an ox and could spot a pass from a mile away. Did it at the level above, never really got a shot at PL level since Fulham signed 42 players last time they came up.
Paul Coutts - I don't need to go too hard here. We all know how good he was. But I think pre-leg break Coutts is unarguably Premier League class. Such a shame.
Ollie Norwood - Pre-lockdown Ollie, what a player. The conductor. Seems to have really regressed since then. He seems to have aged 5 years in the space of 12 months athletically.

Midfield has definitely been our biggest issue this season. The lack of athletic ability compounded by them just seemingly forgetting how to pass, move, break the lines, get forward etc.

So, if you could pick any of Kevin McDonald, Paul Coutts, or Ollie Norwood at the peak of their powers to replay this season with in midfield for 38 games, who would it be?

Easy. Coutts all day long.

 

[Sean Thornton]

I loved Coutts, but fast he was not, even in his prime. In fact for the first 18 months he was one of the worst runners I'd ever seen.

He said faster than Norwood..........

 

[Sean Thornton]

It's OK saying Coutts would have cut it in the prem, but Norwood gets lambasted for not being quick enough. Coutts was even slower.

Not on the ball he wasn’t.

 

[nopigfansintown]

Coutts all day long over Norwood.. Never misplaced a short pass and could weight a pass perfectly into the stride of his teammate. Could pick the ball up on the edge of his own box and be involved in the play until it reached the edge of the opponents box. To say he was press resistant is a massive understatement: had the skill, burst of pace and ball skills to render it almost impossible to take the ball from him.

Norwood is the opposite of press resistant. Sit a man on him or have a high pressing system and he goes to pieces and passes backwards, square or to the opposition; often in dangerous areas. The breakdown of the overlapping centre backs this season has ruthlessly exposed this as the passing options have reduced, the defence spaces in the inside channels have opened and thus the demands on Norwood's individual ability have increased, be that as a result of more turnovers putting pressure on his defensive abilities or evading the press. In the Championship you can get away with it more, as most teams stood of the United midfield in the promotion season. Norwood can look a really good player when not pressured. That being said Norwood has the best long pass out of this lot by a distance.

McDonald prefers the short passing game ala Coutts but was simply much less able to do it. He was the best athlete out of this lot, but at times was a bit headless chicken as far as his spatial awareness goes. Coutts and McCall were rarely caught sprinting to recover. They controlled their area and dominated the middle of the park through their brain and quality.

McCall was an absolutely Rolls Royce of a player that wasn't really replaced until Coutts stepped up his game. When he took the deep lying playmaker role alongside the box to box Brown, United looked brilliant. McCall was press resistant, could pass long and short and we were sound defensively in the middle despite Macca's legs having gone. His reading of the game was such that he'd always seem to be stood in the right place to break up the game. Browny was his legs going forward and in transition, and he simply ran the midfield otherwise. It's criminal that McCall isn't on this list imo. In my view it's between McCall and Coutts with the other two a distant third and fourth.

 

[highgreeninjapan]

Norwood just edges Coutts for me. Coutts took a season and a half or so to find his groove, Norwood instantly transformed us. Norwood was luckier in that he came into a settled structure, but still, after Coutts’ leg break, we were very poor and very slow for at least half a season.

Love Coutts, too, though.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Yeah Norwood in his pomp was easily the best passer. But both Coutts and McDonald knew that not every pass had to be a worldie. They were there classic engine room players. Dictating the pace of game, recycling the ball where necessary, driving us forward when the opportunity arose and very rarely lost possession in the middle of the park.

 

[Dark muffy]

Watching Couttsy, Fleck and Duffy dominate and destroy league 1 (apart from Wallsall) was probably my most enjoyable time watching United. Non stop attacking, intricate, possession based football and those 3 were amazing, Paul Coutts was a joy to watch probably one of my favourite players for that season in league 1 and half in the championship. I was gutted when he broke his leg, gutted for him but also gutted as I kind of knew we wouldn't see him back to his best.